Outlook 2017: Education and Careers

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outlook IV: EDUCATION & CAREERS

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lunging budgets. Lagging teacher pay.

Legislative inaction.

There’s no shortage of troubles besieging education in Oklahoma these days. Despite the turbulent times, many institutions continue to show great resilience.

Ahead are stories of people, places and institutions adapting to their ever-changing environment.

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‘We needed to get to know ourselves again’ Mount St. Mary builds identity tied to tradition

BY BEN FELDER Staff Writer bfelder@oklahoman.com

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alita DeNegri wasn’t sure what to think about the offer to become principal of Mount St. Mary High School 13 years ago. But after an evening of prayer and discussion with family, she agreed to a homecoming that helped spur a transformation of the south Oklahoma City private school.

“I had never been an administrator before,” said DeNegri, who was teaching at the time.

“But I leaned on my memories of my time at Mount St. Mary and relied heavily on my trust in the values that my parents had instilled in me.”

DeNegri had graduated from the school in 1980 but also had spent her childhood running through the historic school’s hallways and classrooms with her dad working on the school staff.

She had returned to a place she loved, but the school’s foundation was anything but solid.

With just 220 students, “The Mount” was heavily in debt, offered just two advance placement courses and was “on the verge of closing,” DeNegri said.

But 13 years later, the school’s enrollment has nearly doubled, advanced placement classes have expanded to 18, and a $5.5 million construction project is underway that is breathing new life into the school that nuns established in 1903.

“The very first day of being principal I whispered to a friend that I was so scared,” DeNegri said. “But his words to me were, ‘It’s just us, it’s your family.’ I’ve embraced this family, and we are thriving.”

‘Growth and progress’ Five Sisters of Mercy traveled to what was then Indian Territory to establish a school and eventually made their way to a hill south of present-day downtown Oklahoma City. The school was originally a boarding school for young women and has evolved into its present

Talita DeNegri, principal at Mount St. Mary High School, is seen at the school March 29 in Oklahoma City. [PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN]

Student Kollin Moseley works on a video March 21 in his video production class at Mount St. Mary High School in Oklahoma City. [PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN]

This is Mount St. Mary High School in Oklahoma City. [PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN]

state as a coed private high school that is jointly owned by the Sisters of Mercy and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

“That partnership started in 2000, and it was such a gesture of trust on each sponsor,” DeNegri said. “The Sisters donated $2 million, the archdiocese donated $2 million, and then the Mount community raised $2 million.”

DeNegri said the original mission of

service by the Sisters of Mercy is also a mission for the school.

“We nurture that expectation with our students through every program that exists that we are to be leaders of service,” DeNegri said.

“Our students need to live it, they need to smell it, they need to feel it.”

The construction project currently underway at the school will include an 11,000-square-foot SEE OURSELVES, 3S

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building that will include a 300 seat cafeteria and 1,884-square-foot kitchen.

“I am delighted by the archdiocese’s deep involvement in the life and mission of Mount St. Mary Catholic High School,” the Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of Oklahoma City, said at last year’s groundbreaking of the new project. “The growth and progress that this historic event represents is a demonstration that this cherished school is moving in a direction that will provide families of Oklahoma City and the surrounding communities a strong, viable and sustaining Catholic education for years to come.”

The school also is launching a new program that DeNegri said will allow students with special needs the opportunity to not only attend the school but integrate fully in its classes and programs.

The new program is just one of many additions made in recent years that has expanded the roaster of opportunities at Mount St Mary.

“It’s a small school, but you get every opportunity as a student,” said Paige Williams, vice president of the school’s board and a 2003 graduate. “You have choir, robotics, all the sports and just all these opportunities that didn’t exist when I was there in school.”

Williams, who joined the board in 2013, said the school’s turnaround

This is Mount St. Mary High School in Oklahoma City. [PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN]

benefitted from a team of people and a renewed commitment from the school’s community.

“But her passion and commitment is what I point to in making The Mount into what it has become,” Williams said about DeNegri.

What Mount St. Mary has become is a school tightly connected to its past, while rapidly moving toward a new identity.

“We had to let go of the way things used to be, but we needed to move forward while still holding onto the traditions,” DeNegri said. “It was almost like we needed to get to know ourselves again and figure out where we wanted to get to.”

Talita DeNegri, principal at Mount St. Mary High School in Oklahoma City, shows a rendering of a new commons addition to the school. [PHOTO

BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN]

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‘We focus on the right things’ Once poor-performing schools are making the grades

BY TIM WILLERT Staff Writer twillert@oklahoman.com

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t Hilldale Elementary School in the Putnam City district, it’s all about the relationships.

Children are active and engaged and want to do right by their teachers, who credit regular collaboration and lots of professional development for the school’s success.

“We just work as a team,” said Amanda Raupe, 27, a first-grade teacher at the school.

“Anything that you learn you want to share with your colleagues because that benefits the most students.”

In four years, Hilldale has gone from targeted intervention school to High Progress Reward School, a designation reserved for schools that consistently show improvement from year to year, according to the state Education Department.

During that time, Hilldale has improved from a D- to a B+ on the state-issued school report card.

Impressive when you consider that each of the school’s 800 students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and one in every five is homeless. Seventy percent of Hilldale students are Hispanic, and about half of those students are English language learners.

Fifth-year Principal Price Brown attributes the turnaround to placing more emphasis on the needs of each child, expanding athletics, the arts and technology.

“The first thing we did is come up with a classroom management program that worked; that got everybody on the same page,” he said. “We really try to give (teachers) the tools to be successful, and they’ve taken full advantage.”

Improvement in reading and math followed suit. Two years ago, every fifthgrader passed the math

section of the annual state assessment. Last year, they missed 100 percent proficiency by one question.

A focus on consistency has spread to the classroom, where children know what’s expected of them and want to please teachers like Andrea Selfridge, Hilldale’s Teacher of the Year for 2017.

Price calls Selfridge, a finalist for district Teacher of the Year, “a child whisperer” because of her easygoing manner.

“She’s one of those teachers that has great relationships with kids,” he said. “She loves the kids. They feel cared for in her classroom. They feel safe.

“The kids try to be successful for Andrea because they know that’s important to her; they want to do whatever makes Miss Selfridge proud of them.”

Price says the school’s innovative approach to learning — children frequently study and exercise simultaneously — continues to pay dividends.

“We don’t want to produce a kid that’s good at reading and math,” he said. “We want to produce a wellrounded kid.”

Charter shows improvement When Ruthie Rayner took over as principal at Stanley Hupfeld Academy five years ago, the high-poverty charter school was in danger of being closed by the state Education Department because of a failing grade.

The mood was anything but upbeat, Rayner recalled after learning the Oklahoma City district school had scored a B on the latest state report card.

“Teachers walked the halls and looked for students who were not doing the right thing,” she said. “That’s where the focus was, looking for students and catching them. There was no mutual respect.”

Amanda Raupe teaches first-graders March 7 at Hilldale Elementary School in Oklahoma City. [PHOTOS BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN]

Ruthie Rayner, principal of Stanley Hupfeld Academy, reads Oct. 27 with second-graders Hero Abraham, 7, Sania Hunter, 7, and La’riah Bennett, 8, in Oklahoma City.

Slowly but surely, Rayner changed the school’s culture by emphasizing the positive instead of the negative.

“We focus on the right things, and we encourage parents to do that, as well,” she said. “Kids that are on grade level and making good grades; we want to celebrate that. By focusing on that, you take the focus off the negative.”

Rayner also implemented reading and math strategies that worked for her during her 13 years as a teacher and five years as an assistant principal

Science teacher Britt Barrientez speaks March 7 to his fifth-graders at Hilldale Elementary School.

in the Edmond school district.

“I could see there were resources in place so we could do the work

that needed to be done,” she said.

The changes have paid off for the school, which continues to show

improvement on the grade card.

In four years, Stanley Hupfeld has climbed from a D+ to a B. The school improved 12 points over last year’s grade of C-.

Longtime teacher Heather Meldrum gives all the credit for the turnaround to Rayner, who set high expectations for students.

“We expect better behavior. We expect better outcomes. We look for the positive, and we meet the kids where they are,” Meldrum said.

“Ruthie taught us to speak to them with love, get to where the root of the problem is.

No kid wakes up and says, ‘I’m going to go to school and have a bad day.’ There are events that lead up to a child’s behavior.”

Rayner says the best is yet to come for the school’s 330 students, nearly 90 percent of whom are black.

“Our students believe they can do anything, and they’ve proven they can do anything,” she said. “This is a great time to celebrate what has happened here, but we’re not done. We can make an A. Our kids can do this because every child has the capability of meeting the goals that are set before them.”

‘We are going to make it work’ School districts do what they can amid state budget cuts

BY TIM WILLERT Staff Writer twillert@oklahoman.com

BETHANY — Two years ago, Meggan Wilson’s curriculum budget was about $31,000.

Last year the budget for pencils, paper, textbooks and other instructional materials was roughly $25,000. This year, it’s about $15,000, or less than half of what it was in Fiscal Year 2015.

“We use every scrap of paper we have,” said Wilson, the principal at Western Oaks Middle School in Bethany. “We turn it over, make the print smaller, cut it up, run more than one thing on a page.

“We make do with what we have. We wish we had the funds our kids deserve, but we are going to make it work because we don’t want to see our kids suffer.”

To that end, Wilson’s teachers frequently apply for grants and seek community assistance. They tutor after school for free or they bring their kids in for lunches to make sure they’re understanding the curriculum.

“There is not a person in this building that doesn’t pay out of their pocket for things the kids need,” Wilson said. “They are the most incredible, hardworking people I know. They are dedicated to kids; they work hard to make sure they have everything they need to be successful.”

The scene at Western Oaks in the Putnam City district is a familiar one playing out across Oklahoma. The state’s budget shortfall has resulted in myriad costcutting measures that have stripped districts of needed staff and supplies.

Oklahoma City Superintendent Aurora Lora speaks Feb. 15 at a legislative breakfast that at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City.

[PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]

Programs dedicated to academics, arts and athletics were reduced or eliminated. Overcrowded classrooms are staffed with often underqualified teachers, thanks to the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.

Last spring, Oklahoma City Public Schools cut $30 million in salaries, programs, services and supplies to counter the state’s projected budget deficit.

The district has felt the effects since school

Edmond Superintendent Bret Towne

started in August.

“The cancellation of textbook purchases have been hard on teachers because they don’t have enough instructional materials,” Superintendent Aurora Lora said.

“Teachers have talked about having to spend a lot of money out of their own pockets on things the schools can’t afford.

That’s hard for teachers who don’t make a lot of money in the first place.”

This spring, the district is preparing to cut between $4 million and $10 million more in anticipation of a nearly $900 million shortfall

the state is projecting for the 2018 fiscal year.

“I think we’re definitely trying to stay positive, moving in the right direction, trying to make the best of a difficult situation,” Lora said.

“But it is challenging just knowing that we’ve probably got another year of cuts ahead, and these cuts will even go deeper than we are right now.”

Other districts, however, have benefited from conservative budget practices to mitigate the damage, and in some cases, employees have been willing to share the financial burden.

Edmond Public Schools, for example, withstood $3.6 million in cuts — including nearly $2 million to the general operations and personnel budgets — by doing things like negotiating with support and certified employees to give up one day of pay. Administrators, meanwhile, gave up two days of pay.

“We wish we could

get it back to one day,” Superintendent Bret Towne said.

The district helped offset about $81,000 in cuts to athletics and fine arts by playing Edmond Memorial and Edmond North varsity football games at Santa Fe High School instead of Central Oklahoma’s Wantland Stadium.

By increasing facility rental rates and offering tuition-based extended day prekindergarten offerings, the district raised $600,000 in new revenue, Towne said.

The district’s plan, Towne said, was to reduce expenses without eliminating programs.

The district is projecting a $3.3 million reduction in state aid by the end of the current fiscal year.

“Through attrition we cut 12 teachers,” he said. “But we hired a lot more than 12 because of growth. We were in pretty good shape this year. We ended our year with a $19 million fund balance.”

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Educators Mackinley Cross, Wilbur House, Amy Walls and Jessika Hill operate a nonprofit that provides free professional development for Oklahoma teachers. [PHOTO PROVIDED]

‘We are all about bringing light to this profession’ Educators group gives back through free teacher training

BY TIM WILLERT Staff Writer twillert@oklahoman.com

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he way Mackinley Cross sees it, her profession could use a little good news.

Cross, a special education teacher, and three colleagues provide needed professional development at no cost to teachers, schools, or districts hit hard by budget cuts.

“We’re not here to do anything other than bring positivity to the teaching profession,” she said. “We are all about bringing light to this profession. We don’t have time or energy to do anything other than stay positive and focused on our kids.”

Cross, Jessika Hill, Wilbur House and Amy Walls call themselves Inspiration for Instruction. Their mission is to increase classroom engagement and student achievement.

“There really is a hunger among teachers for professional development that matches the reality of the classroom,” said Walls, the social studies coordinator for Putnam City Public Schools. “We really try to be in tune with teachers so that we know what their day-today needs are.”

Hill is a reading specialist at Mustang Elementary School. She said the state’s teacher shortage — nearly 1,170 emergency teaching certificates were issued between May and February — and a lack of funding for professional development fueled the group’s desire to establish Inspiration for Instruction, a nonprofit.

“We hope it will impact all students in the end,” she said. “That truly is our focus; we have a love for education and truly support Oklahoma teachers.”

House retired in 2015 after 24 years with Oklahoma City Public Schools, the last four as executive director of curriculum and instruction.

“What we’re trying to do is offer a service related to what we did when I was working with Oklahoma City,” he said. “We think it’s very important because we know the school districts are under quite a bit of duress as far as budgets and bureaucracy.”

Since teaming up in October 2015, the group has sponsored

Mackinley Cross, a special education teacher, and three colleagues provide needed professional development at no cost to teachers, schools, or districts hit hard by budget cuts. [PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN]

The newbies, they really have different needs than veteran teachers. We wanted to offer them an opportunity to focus on those needs in an environment where it was safe to ask questions and not feel vulnerable or have to worry.”

—Mackinley Cross special education teacher

four instructional conferences across the Oklahoma City metro area. A February 2016 conference in Mustang drew 101 teachers from 18 districts. Teachers have come from as far away as Woodward and Temple to learn more about classroom management and instructional strategies.

Representatives from two rural school districts with no budget for professional development have requested the group’s services.

“The things that they’re teaching and the things that they are sharing with us are things that they have tried and things that work,” said Jenn Lowery, who teaches fifthgrade math at Fairview Elementary in the Moore school district.

Inspiration for Instruction sponsored a midyear conference in January that drew 63 teachers from 14 school districts to Briarwood Elementary School in the Moore district.

Morning and afternoon sessions were offered to help elementary school teachers focus on best practices in literacy and math instruction, refine classroom management techniques, maximize cross-curricular instruction, and maintain student engagement.

In February, 41 firstand second-year teachers, those in training and those working on emergency or alternative certificates, were the focus of a shorter training session at Irving Middle School in the

Norman district.

“The newbies, they really have different needs than veteran teachers,” Cross said. “We wanted to offer them an opportunity to focus on those needs in an environment where it was safe to ask questions and not feel vulnerable or have to worry.

“It can be an unnerving experience to be in a classroom the first two years and feel like you’re on an island. So we decided to make this an ongoing opportunity.”

All presenters are volunteers, and most still work in classrooms or schools, including Cross, who teaches fifthand sixth-graders at Briarwood.

The mother of two, Cross is pursuing a doctorate in instructional leadership and academic curriculum at the University of Oklahoma.

She previously coached and evaluated new teachers for Oklahoma City Public Schools, where she got to know Hill, House and Wall when they worked there together.

“It’s become so much more than a conversation,” she said. “We love teachers. We love kids. We love Oklahoma schools.”

So much so that Cross and the others will cook for those who attend their conferences. They rely on outside funding for materials and other related expenses.

“I’ve taught around the nation, and I’ve never seen a group of teachers that are more passionate about what they do that work harder,” she said.

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‘Makes you feel like you’re right at home’ Oklahoma County Boys & Girls Club building gets a makeover

BY STEVE GUST For The Oklahoman

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he Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County at Memorial Park in January threw open its doors to showcase $50,000 in building renovations.

The 35,000-squarefoot center continues its goal of providing hope and encouragement to the 400 youths, ages 6 to 18, who go there for after-school programs.

In October, Lowe’s Home Improvement store targeted the center near NW 36 and Western to receive a “Lowe’s Renovation Across the Nation” initiative. The national chain targeted one club in each state to receive the grant. The Memorial Park club was Oklahoma’s only recipient.

Collin MillerNasalroad, a sales manager for Lowe’s, talked about the improvements during a news conference.

“We must have had a thousand gallons of new paint,” he said. He said other subcontractors volunteered to brighten up the headquarters. Other major improvements included landscaping outside the building, including repairs to a sprinkler system. There also is a new office in the gymnasium for the athletic director.

Bob Mills Furniture also donated items for the project.

While discussing his concern for the future of the young people, Miller-Nasalroad choked up, and his emotions made it difficult for him to recap the hundreds of volunteer hours by Lowe’s staff.

“I don’t know,” he said after his presentation.

“It all just hit me at once when I thought about the kids and what we had done here.”

Jane Sutter, president and chief executive officer of the club, said the improvements were needed because of extensive use.

Oklahoma County’s Boys & Girls Club has about 3,700 members.

It also has school club sites at Santa Fe South Elementary School, 5324 S Pennsylvania; Cesar Chavez Elementary School, 600 SE Grand Blvd.; and Telstar Elementary, 9521 NE 16th in Midwest City.

Membership is $10 a year, but no child is turned away for inability to pay, Sutter said.

Sutter said the club at Memorial Park gives students a safe place where they can get help with homework or participate in athletics.

Centers across the nation look to provide life-enhancing and character development programs and experiences for youth.

Dignitaries, including chamber officials, representatives of Lowe’s, local Boys & Girls Clubs board members and the national president of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Jim Clark, join Jane Sutter, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, in cutting the red ribbon in January at the formal unveiling event to celebrate and recognize major renovations to the Memorial Park Clubhouse, which houses local Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, 3535 N Western Ave. [PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN]

She said students who attend even once a week are more likely to graduate from high school and stay out of trouble.

Stephanie Rivers, director of development, said most of the members are from oneparent families, and 65 percent are black. The remaining 35 percent are white or Hispanic.

The group’s presence at Memorial Park dates back to 1995. A. Jaye Johnson, senior director of communications and facilities, talked about the humble beginnings at Memorial Park.

“In 1995, we were in a 7,000-squarefoot abandoned city of Oklahoma City

building,” he said.

Memorial Park at the time had problems with prostitution, gangs and Sunday afternoon pit bull terrier fights. Initial attendance was only a dozen or so students a day.

When Johnson was hired in 2002, he began an outreach to nearby schools. He told the parents the center was a much better place for children than going home to an empty house.

From there membership blossomed, and Johnson said he made an appeal directly to drug users to leave the park.

The Boys & Girls Club moved into its current larger clubhouse in 2005.

The open house also was attended by Jim Clark, national president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Nationally, about 4 million youth are members.

Clark called the remodeled clubhouse, “truly incredible,” and lauded Lowe’s and all the volunteers who made it happen.

“Jane (Sutter) and the staff are doing a fantastic job,” he said.

“The Oklahoma City club is a great Boys & Girls Club.”

Sutter, while pleased with the renovation, said there are still hundreds, or probably thousands, of students in the metro area who could use a club of

their own. The club estimates about 130,367 youths in Oklahoma are unsupervised after school.

Sutter said she hopes to have more school clubs in the metro area.

“A survey was done of Boys & Girls Club alumni, and it found that more than 90 percent were very satisfied with their membership and 54 percent said their membership saved their lives,” Sutter said.

The youths also were pleased with their spruced-up surroundings.

“This looks great,” club member Alexis Smith said. “It makes you feel like you’re right at home.”

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‘We want to grow ... go nationwide’ Earth Rebirth fosters sustainable gardens

BY SHARLA BARDIN For The Oklahoman

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he Earth Rebirth organization is helping to grow future gardeners and cultivate goodwill.

The Norman nonprofit’s programs include partnering with schools to establish gardens and starting a small outdoor food pantry by the organization’s office at 325 E Comanche St. Andrew Sartain, founder, said he’s excited about the ventures and the vision he has for Earth Rebirth.

“We want to grow,” he said.

“We want to go nationwide.”

Sartain started Earth Rebirth in 2011 while he was a student at the University of Oklahoma. The nonprofit aims to educate and empower people to bridge the gaps between economic and environmental problems.

The objectives are to inform people about improvements they can make in their daily lives that can lead to solutions for economic and environmental issues, according to program information.

The focus is on food, energy and water programs.

One of the organization’s initiatives is to establish a garden at every school in Norman.

There are 14 gardens now and four more that will be set up this spring.

School officials say the gardens give students hands-on experience and the opportunity to use the vegetables and fruits produced in the school cafeterias or sell them at the Norman Farm Market.

Sartain and a group of volunteers recently planted potatoes, onions, blackberries and strawberries in garden beds at Wilson Elementary School, 800 N Peters Ave. Principal Chris Crelia said the school received a grant from Earth Rebirth to establish three gardens. The hope is to sell the produce at the farmers market and include some of the items in the cafeteria.

Crelia said he’s excited about students having the opportunity to plant, take ownership of the gardens and learn to become more mindful and responsible “about the Earth and taking care of not just the Earth but themselves with healthy living.”

“We’re just excited to see where it goes,” he said.

Norman North High School is another school working with Earth Rebirth to establish a garden, Principal Peter Liesenfeld said.

Andrew Sartain, founder of Earth Rebirth, wants to see the nonprofit expand to other states. [PHOTOS BY SHARLA BARDIN, FOR THE OKLAHOMAN]

What I appreciate are business partners in this community that are so committed to improving the entire community and working with schools. Earth Rebirth is really committed to improving not only the environment but the entire community.”

— Peter Liesenfeld principal

Sartain, left, and Logan Parker, 8, prepare to plant potatoes at a garden at Wilson Elementary School in Norman.

Liesenfeld said science classes are developing ideas for what type of garden to create at the school. Plans are to finalize ideas by spring and start work on the project in the fall.

Liesenfeld said he is eager to see students involved and encouraged about the realworld applications they can take from the experience, such as learning more about sustainability and the environment. He also is impressed with the support offered by Earth Rebirth.

“What I appreciate are business partners in this community that are so committed to improving the entire community and working with schools,” he said.

“Earth Rebirth is really committed to improving not only the environment but the entire community.”

A gathering place One of Earth Rebirth’s newest initiatives is the outdoor food pantry. Sartain said people can donate nonperishable items and toiletries, and those in need can visit the pantry and take necessary items.

“It’s been doing really well,” he said.

The Earth Rebirth office is also a community center with events that include game nights, workshops and concerts, and a place where people can exchange ideas and skills.

Looking ahead, Sartain said one of his goals is to see Earth Rebirth expand into other areas of the nation.

“Hopefully, we’ll spread out across the country and help millions of people.”

For information, check out the nonprofit’s Facebook page.

Volunteers Logan Parker, left, Holly Cates and Mark Parker plant potatoes in the garden at Wilson Elementary School in Norman. Volunteers also planted onions, blackberries and strawberries.

‘I felt really close to the community’ Tornado ties California illustrator to Oklahoma

BY KEN RAYMOND Staff Writer kraymond@oklahoman.com

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obin Preiss Glasser, a noted children’s book illustrator, swung by Edmond and Oklahoma City about May 10, 2013.

As the artist behind the “Fancy Nancy” series, she visited with students at Oklahoma Christian School and was the star attraction at a Best of Books event where she got to interact with children.

“Tons and tons of kids came to see me,” Glasser said in a recent phone interview, “so I felt really close to the community.”

On May 20, just 10 days later, Glasser watched footage on TV of the deadly EF5 tornado

that tore through the Moore area and its environs, destroying Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools, killing 24 people, injuring about 375 and erasing homes and businesses.

The news was heartbreaking, even though it happened far from Glasser’s California home. She’d bonded with Oklahoma children. She could only imagine the devastation.

“The kids were terrified,” she said. “I think there was a level of PTSD.” There wasn’t much she could do to provide immediate assistance, but she reached out to Plaza Towers librarian Pi Johnston and Briarwood librarian Teresa Schroeder, becoming friends

Illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser holds one of the 1,200 signed books she collected and donated to the libraries at Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools in the Moore district. [PHOTO PROVIDED]

with both of them.

Knowing it would take time for the schools to be rebuilt, Glasser sent emails to every author and illustrator she knew, asking them to donate books to the schools.

Most complied. Many sent two sets of books, perhaps 10 in each set, inscribed to the students of the individual schools.

Over the course of a year, the books stacked up in Glasser’s garage,

eventually numbering about 1,200 volumes.

But that wasn’t all: Alex Uhl, a friend who was closing A Whale of a Tale Bookshop in Irvine, California, offered up a book “castle” — a unique reading space with a gauzy, voluminous roof and garlands.

Glasser delivered the books to the schools (and the book castle to Briarwood) before returning home. Repairs to the schools were close to being finished, but the emotional scars still lingered.

Even after dropping off the books, Glasser continued to feel a strong connection to the Moore area. When her newest book tour was being planned, she specified one destination: Oklahoma.

A few weeks ago, she spoke to students at both schools and got to see the libraries. She kept the subject matter light;

some of the children were so young when the tornado struck that they have few memories of it, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause them to think about things they may be better off forgetting.

Even so, she said, “I was thrilled to come back and look at all the books that were signed. They’re in a special part of the libraries. ... This was a big community effort, and it was a big circle for me to come back and see the people, meet a lot of them who were affected.

Just a wonderful feeling.

Heartwarming.”

Through her connections to the schools, librarians and the ownership of Edmond’s Best of Books, it seems likely that Glasser will always have an unofficial second home in Oklahoma.

With all she’s done for the children, she couldn’t be more welcome.

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‘A grand expression of the city’s ambitions’ OCU’s School of Law building has rich history

BY DARLA SLIPKE Staff Writer dslipke@oklahoman.com

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nside a third-floor room of a landmark downtown Oklahoma City building, a glass showcase lines one wall filled with trophies and other memorabilia from the old Central High School.

On the opposite wall, inside another display case, the shelves are lined with pictures, plaques and other items commemorating Oklahoma City University’s School of Law and the building’s history.

The room, which originally served as the “grand entrance” to the high school, still contains mosaic tile flooring that is original to the more-than-centuryold building. Today the space is preserved as a “Museum Room,” a testament to both the building’s rich history and to its current function as home to OCU’s law school.

The five-story, 177,000-square foot, collegiate Gothic style structure located at 800 N Harvey has served a number of roles over the years.

“The building is intertwined with the history of the city,” said Valerie Couch, dean of Oklahoma City University’s School of Law. Architect Solomon Andrew Layton, whose work included the Oklahoma state Capitol and the Skirvin hotel, designed the building, which opened in 1910 as a high school.

“It was built to be a grand expression of the city’s ambitions,” Couch said.

Over the years, the school district’s use of the building would change a few times, including serving stints as a junior high school and an alternative high school, according to The Oklahoman’s archives.

In the early 1980s, Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. bought the building from the school district and renovated it to use as its Oklahoma headquarters.

In 1995, rescue workers used the building as a command center after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing.

Lee Peoples, professor of law and director of the law library at Oklahoma City University School of Law, who co-authored a forthcoming book about the history of the building, said search and rescue dogs that assisted with recovery efforts slept in an upstairs room that now serves as a faculty office. During a reunion years later, the same dogs were released on the ground floor of the building. They ran up the stairs and went right to the room where they had slept, Peoples said.

“We’re very proud of the role that the building played in the (aftermath of the) bombing,” he said. “I think it’s really symbolic for the role that law plays in society.”

In times of chaos or disaster, the law is a calming force, Peoples said.

“People can rely on that branch of government to make decisions when there are

This five-story, 177,000-square foot, collegiate Gothic style structure in downtown Oklahoma City has served a number of roles over the years. It is now home to the Oklahoma City University School of Law. [PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN]

We’re very proud of the role that the building played in the (aftermath of the) bombing. I think it’s really symbolic for the role that law plays in society.”

—Lee Peoples professor of law and director of the law library at Oklahoma City University School of Law The Oklahoma City University School of Law now makes its home in a historic building in downtown.

great conflicts,” he said.

“That’s something we try to instill in our students is to be able to peacefully resolve conflicts. That’s really what law does.”

Two 1920s murals by artist Olinka Hrdy adorn the walls on either side of the Museum Room’s doorway in the Oklahoma City University School of Law building.

Historical treasure In 2005, Oklahoma Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Co. bought the building. The company, which later changed its name to American Farmers and Ranchers Mutual Insurance Co., put the property up for sale in 2010 after determining the building was too large for its operations, according to The Oklahoman’s archives.

In 2012, Oklahoma City University bought the building, outbidding Oklahoma City Public Schools, which wanted the building back to use as administrative headquarters.

The university renovated the building and converted the space back into a school.

Law students started attending class there in January 2015.

The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, still includes a number of original architectural features, including a proscenium arch and mosaic tile flooring.

Inside the Museum Room, a framed certificate from the Oklahoma Historical Society celebrates the building’s listing on the national register. Other pieces of the building’s history — trophies and plaques recognizing scholastic and athletic achievements, a geometry work book with tattered pages and

old yearbooks with black and white photos — also are displayed. Two 1920s murals by artist Olinka Hrdy adorn the walls on either side of the room’s doorway.

Hrdy was considered to be “Oklahoma’s first modern artist.” Many of her other murals were destroyed over the years.

Only one other Hrdy mural is known to exist, OCU officials said. It is located in California.

The murals in the old Central High School building were in bad shape when OCU bought the building, so the university hired a conservator to repair them, Couch said.

The theme of the murals — the education of a human being — fits perfectly with the mission of the law school, Couch said.

One mural depicts the education and development of a person through athletics and physical development.

SEE AMBITIONS, 10S

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We have always viewed ourselves as the city’s law school, and moving here has enabled us to make that a reality in so many meaningful ways. We are in partnership with the city, and we’re providing a very important piece of a great city, and that is higher education in the urban core. ... We feel so privileged and fortunate to be able to play that role.”

— Valerie Couch dean of Oklahoma City University’s School of Law

This is the student courtroom in the Oklahoma City University School of Law building. [PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN]

AMBITIONS CONTINUED FROM 9S

The other pictures the education of a person through arts, sciences and technology, Couch said.

“These are treasures,” she said.

‘Connection with the city’ Oklahoma City University law students and faculty have enjoyed the new downtown

location and the opportunity to work in a building with such rich history, officials said.

At OCU’s main campus, the law school was in four buildings, Couch said. Now, students benefit from having one centralized location within walking distance of the county and federal courthouses and downtown law firms.

From classrooms on the fifth floor of the building, students and faculty can see the city growing around them,

Couch said.

The law school is connected to the community in a variety of ways, including through resources such as the Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law and Policy and the Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic.

“We have always viewed ourselves as the city’s law school, and moving here has enabled us to make that a reality in so many meaningful ways,” she said. “We are in partnership with the

The auditorium of the former Oklahoma High School building is now a gathering space in the Oklahoma City University Law School that is used for receptions and other large events.

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city, and we’re providing a very important piece of a great city, and that is higher education in the urban core. ... We feel so privileged and fortunate to be able to play that role.”

As the city is growing and thriving, the law school is part of that story, Couch said.

“We feel like we’re a player and our students are players, and we’ve just gotten a degree of connection with the city that was simply not possible in our other location,” she said.

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017

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Helping ‘maneuver what can often be a scary step’ Metro Tech offers retraining, chance at a second career

BY HENRY DOLIVE For The Oklahoman

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hen Lee Marrs, of Oklahoma City, decided to retire from his 20-year tenure as the chief executive officer of a Texasbased nonprofit, call-before-you-dig service that operates in four states, he knew he wanted to spend some of his time doing something worthwhile.

Marrs’ daughter is a nurse practitioner and suggested that he could do some good in the medical field. His research soon led him to the Medical Assisting program offered by Metro Technology Centers (Metro Tech) in Oklahoma City.

“It seemed to me,” Marrs recalled, “that I’d be able to do the most with that certification in a short period of time.”

Marrs’ situation is typical of other metroarea adults who for a variety of reasons must seek retraining to embark on different careers.

Brian Ruttman, executive officer for student and stakeholder services at Metro Tech, said Metro Tech can help make a career change possible.

“We ... serve older adults who are looking for a career now that their children are grown, and adults who want to make a career change and need training (or) retraining,” Ruttman said.

Since its creation by voters in 1979, Metro Technology has provided career and technology-focused education to thousands of metro area students.

The school is based at 1900 Springlake Drive, on the site of the former Springlake Amusement Park in northeast Oklahoma City, but has three other campuses scattered throughout the metro area.

Metro Tech students range in age from 15 into the 60s, Ruttman said.

Marrs said he sought retraining to remain busy and engaged in his community during his retirement years, and thought Metro Tech’s Medical Assisting program was a good option.

Having never attended a vocational school before enrolling at Metro Tech in August 2014, Marrs, 67, said he had no idea what to expect.

“What I found was excellent facilities, professional instructors who had worked in their industries, and dedicated students working hard to better themselves and their careers,” Marrs said.

He completed the Medical Assisting program in May 2015.

While in school, he volunteered at the Lighthouse Clinic in Capitol Hill, and after becoming certified as a medical assistant, he has volunteered his time — first at Skyline Urban Ministries then at the Crossings Community Clinic,

Metro Tech graduate Maria Martinez volunteers March 16 at Crossings Clinic in Oklahoma City. [PHOTOS BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN]

DID YOU KNOW?

•Metro Technology Centers is based at its first Oklahoma City metro area campus, 1900 Springlake Drive, on the site the former Springlake Amusement Park. Its other campus sites are the Aviation Career Campus, 5600 S MacArthur Blvd.; Downtown Business Campus, 100 N Broadway, third floor; and the S Bryant Campus, 4901 S Bryant Ave. •Short-term adult and career development courses can be one hour to 100 hours on any subject where a need has been identified.

•Customized courses are provided to promote personal, economic and organizational development for industryspecific training and development clients.

•Metro Tech also offers career and business counseling, assessment, financial aid, employment services, computerized academic centers including English as a Second Language, child care, disability services and bus transportation.

•Metro Tech also provides special programs for high school dropout recovery and prevention in its Metro Career Academy, transitioning from government assistance to the workplace and GED preparation.

For more information, call 595-4090 or go to www. metrotech.edu.

located in The Village.

Marrs said that because of his current duties as president of the congregation at First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, he is not serving as a volunteer anywhere at present but is looking forward to resuming those activities later this year.

Marrs was among the oldest students to complete a Metro Tech program in recent years, graduating from the Medical Assisting program in May 2015.

Student diversity Ruttman said Metro Tech is playing a vital role in serving a diverse student clientele.

He said it is serving not only high school students preparing to launch their work careers, but also older students who for various reasons are looking to change careers, begin new careers or receive more advanced training.

The school also serves the business community in a variety of other ways, Ruttman said.

Services for businesses and industries at Metro Tech include business assessments, management and organizational development, small business management and succession

planning.

Metro Tech offers 27 fields of study. Those proving to attract the largest numbers of students in recent years include aviation maintenance, licensed practical nurse, radiologic technology, cosmetology, welding, electrical and medical office/coding.

The school also serves specialty business operations from the oil and gas industry, manufacturing, construction and engineering, and information technology, education, graphics communication, finance, transportation, food service and business services. It also assists government agencies and small businesses.

Marrs said he enjoyed his experience at Metro Tech, and has found the medical work he learned to perform there “as fulfilling as anything I’ve ever done.”

Volunteering at the free-service Crossings Community Clinic, he said, has given him a perspective he didn’t expect.

The clinic serves patients who lack health insurance or are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, said Steve Turner, Crossings Community Clinic director.

“I’ve found it

Metro Tech graduate Jazsmyn Coutrier works March 16 as an administrative assistant at Crossings Clinic in Oklahoma City.

tremendously rewarding to be able to help people in an immediate way,” Marrs said of his time volunteering at the Crossings clinic.

“Our patients may not be often treated as individuals with dignity and deserving of respect,” Marrs said.

“To be able to provide for them, even in a brief office encounter, a respectful, caring, and empathetic experience is the most rewarding thing I’ve done. Being of service provides such rich rewards.”

Through Crossings’s partnership with Metro Tech, Turner said, students in the Medical Assisting program have been allowed to serve as volunteers in the clinic, serving patients and carrying out other tasks needed in a clinic setting.

Turner said the arrangement with the school’s medical programs has proved valuable for Crossings, now in its 12th year of operation and second year at its current site, 10255 N Pennsylvania Ave. “Metro Tech has been a great partner for us. Their students

who come to us are very professional, conscientious and hardworking. We are a school-friendly organization,” he said.

‘It’s a win-win’ Jazsmyn Coutrier, 29, is medical administrative assistant at Crossings and was hired after she completed the Medical Assisting program at Metro Tech. She said she sought training for a different career path after having worked for an American Indian tribe filing medical insurance claims.

Coutrier began as a part-time administrative volunteer at Crossings while completing her training, handling phone duties, scheduling appointments and referrals, and carrying out other front desk duties.

“I had a good experience at Metro Tech,” Coutrier said. “I had a great instructor.

She had been a nurse for several years, and so I got the good end of the bargain,” receiving both medical training and practical advice.

“She was able to teach us what she knew, and made sure we were going to be successful.”

“I feel like I got my best knowledge by being here” at Crossings, Coutrier said of her volunteer time in the clinic.

Kim Corcoran, clinic operations director for Crossings, said Metro Tech students receiving their training at the clinic have been valuable and are enhancing their educations, as well.

“These students are willing to do what needs to be done. They are trained volunteers — valuable for us, and for them — so it’s a winwin,” Corcoran said.

Ruttman urged anyone considering a change in careers to call Metro Tech.

“Let us help you maneuver what can often be a scary step, beginning a new career after being out of work, deciding to leap into a new career field or adding to your current skill set,” Ruttman said. “We have helped students of all ages, backgrounds and situations change the direction of their life and prepare for life.”

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

‘These are exciting times for us’ Sharing its story reaps growth in enrollment, funding for Langston

BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@oklahoman.com

L

angston University is thriving after years of “quietly going about its business,” said President Kent Smith, who has worked to promote the institution since arriving five years ago.

Langston — which just celebrated its 120th anniversary — is one of the nation’s 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the only one in Oklahoma.

When Smith came from another HBCU in Ohio, he noted Langston had done a poor job of telling its own story.

As a result, he said, many Oklahomans didn’t know much about the university or its history.

When the university was in the news, it more likely was for a crime than an accomplishment.

Five years later, the news is very good.

Langston University has seen record enrollment for the past three years.

More than 12,000 students — 90 percent freshmen and 10 percent transfer students — submitted applications for this academic year, the most in the university’s history.

Mautra Jones, vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs, attributes the growth to a “phenomenal recruitment team.”

“They are sharing the story to get people interested in Langston and highlighting our strong academic programs,” Jones said.

Student retention improved 3 percent over the past year and officials anticipate at least another 3 percent bump for the upcoming year, she said.

Smith said the student body size is just right for a high-quality, hightouch experience.

“Your professors get to know you,” he said.

Building relationships Since Smith wasn’t from Oklahoma and wasn’t a Langston alumnus, he had a bit of a learning curve.

It took two years to learn about the university and the state and to get to know the lawmakers, he said.

With his “feet firmly planted,” he began the

Students move between classes at Langston University. More than 12,000 students — 90 percent freshmen and 10 percent transfer students — submitted applications for this academic year, the most in the university’s history. [PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]

external phase of his presidency — lobbying, talking to corporations, marketing, building relationships and expanding fundraising.

It can be tricky “to pivot to a new reality and simultaneously bring along the alumni,” Smith said.

Alumni were giving very little when Smith arrived because they really weren’t being asked, he said.

Now the Langston University Foundation is on track to see a 15 percent increase in donations this fiscal year.

Federal grants and awards increased 10 percent from last year because of the grantwriting efforts of the faculty and staff.

The university receives more than $39 million annually in federal dollars to support grant activities, research and student financial aid — far more than it receives in state funding, Smith said.

Continued funding and increases in funding depend on Congress, but building relationships with the new administration in Washington also is important, he said.

Smith and other presidents of HBCUs met with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other

officials in late February to make their case.

Keeping current Langston officials are reviewing all academic programs to determine which need more investment, which should be eliminated and what new programs should be added, Smith said.

He wants to launch a cyber security program.

Smith said higher education works better when educators develop the academic programs business leaders say they need for their workforce.

“Higher education institutions that thrive will be those who are nimble and responsive,” he said.

Growth also can be seen in campus facilities.

A new 27,000-squarefoot goat research facility will be used to expand research capabilities in the areas of artificial insemination, metabolism, nutrition, management and total energy expenditure.

“These are exciting times for us,” Smith said.

“I’d like people to say of the Kent Smith presidency that we took Langston University to the world and solidified the future of the university.”

Langston University President Kent Smith, right, meets with Sen. James Lankford during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., to advocate for increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. [PHOTO PROVIDED]

Higher education institutions that thrive will be those who are nimble and responsive.”

—Kent Smith Langston University president

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

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‘Our professors will be in high demand again’ OU Earth and Energy dean foresees enrollment comeback in 2018

BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@oklahoman.com

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hen the price of oil began to erode and the demand for related careers fell with it, enrollment in the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at the University of Oklahoma likewise took a dive.

J. Mike Stice, dean of the college, said enrollment went from 1,500 graduate and undergraduate students at the beginning of the downturn to 900.

“That erosion in oil price that happened in 2015, early 2016 is here and upon us now,” Stice said. He expects 2017 to be the worst year because of the lag effect.

“I’m already seeing the stimulus that we need both in the industry and the economy to make a big comeback in 2018,” he said.

Educating students is only half of the college’s academic mission.

“We don’t just teach here. We also research here,” Stice said.

Professors and graduate students image rocks at detailed levels and study how fluid flows through rocks. They test well integrity and the frequency, intensity, and distribution of earthquakes in a given area. Sometimes a company asks the college to test an idea in a lab before trying it on a macro scale in the field.

“Not only did we see a reduction in enrollment, we saw a reduction in grant dollars coming forward (from industry) for us to research some unique aspect of a problem,” Stice said.

Research dollars already are beginning to come back, along with the industry, he said.

“The phone will start ringing again, and our professors will be in high demand again.”

Job search The downturn made it hard to find enough internships for students.

“It might have been our single biggest issue,” Stice said.

The summer after the sophomore year is the target market for the industry, and that remained fairly stable, he said. Employers who are pleased with those interns generally hire them again the following summer.

Students completing their junior year who didn’t get an internship the previous summer found “those jobs almost entirely dried up,” Stice said.

Many began their senior year without ever having an internship.

“That puts them at a real disadvantage because they have no relationship with a company,” he said.

“When they graduate, they’re out on the free market trying to find a job with no direct past experience with the companies. That makes it hard to find a job.”

The impact was dramatic with only 40 percent of fall 2016 graduates finding jobs

J. Mike Stice, dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at the University of Oklahoma, said the college was resilient in the face of the industry downturn because of generous alumni and planning by his predecessor. Stice expects enrollment to start climbing in 2018. [PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN]

It’s the graduate students that make the college.

They give the faculty more resources, working alongside them doing research and helping do more effective teaching.

— J. Mike Stice dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at the University of Oklahoma

immediately, compared to 70 percent of spring 2015 graduates.

has an annual budget of $23 million, but only 30 percent is funding from the state.

Funding sources Future students The College of Earth and Energy has two academic units — the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, and the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics.

It also contains the Oklahoma Geological Survey, a state agency for research and public service. Chartered in the Oklahoma Constitution, it is charged with investigating the state’s land, water, mineral, and energy resources, and disseminating the information to promote the wise use of natural resources.

The college was resilient in the face of the industry downturn and state budget cuts for a couple of reasons, Stice said.

Larry Grillot — who guided the college through its first eight years before retiring in 2015 — did a wonderful job planning for a rainy day, Stice said.

Grillot recognized the cyclical nature of the industry and knew on the end of a growth spurt there is a valley, he said.

The college also has strong support from alumni who are retired and have made their money. Industry downturns no longer affect their giving, Stice said.

“We were blessed with some pretty large gifts last year,” he said.

Stice said the college

The goal is to grow enrollment to 2,000 students by 2025, including a larger percentage of graduate students.

“It’s the graduate students that make the college,” Stice said.

They give the faculty more resources, working alongside them doing research and helping do more effective teaching.

“If we get to that level and those proportions, I think we can be the No. 1 petroleum engineering school in the country.

We’re currently No. 7 (of about 30), and I want to be the No. 1,” Stice said.

The geology and geophysics school is currently 60th among 360, and “I want to be a Top 10 G & G school,” he said.

International students account for 50 percent in petroleum engineering and 35 percent in geology and geophysics.

“It’s a very diverse school,” Stice said.

“A little trouble with gender. I need more women in this college — both at the faculty level and graduate level, as well as the undergraduate level.

“In fact, engineering across the country suffers from not enough gender diversity,” he said. “We have to do more work.”

One way the college does that is through a joint program with the College of Engineering.

They bring 10- and 11-year-old girls to campus, where faculty entice them to explore their limits in math and science, Stice said.

“It’s fun to watch them because they’re very curious and sharp.

The key is to keep that fire alive so at the time they make a decision to come to college this is something they want to do.”

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‘I’m pretty much back to full steam’ OSU business school center director makes quick comeback

BY K.S. MCNUTT Staff Writer kmcnutt@oklahoman.com

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ithin minutes of arriving at work Jan. 4, Alicia Smales turned around and went back home, where she put on layers of clothing and collapsed under the covers.

“So I tucked myself into bed, and the next thing you know two days later I woke up in the hospital,” Smales said. “I was completely delirious so I don’t remember much.”

Two weeks later, she was back in her office at Oklahoma State University, where she helps business majors prepare for the workplace.

“Now I’m pretty much back to full steam,” she said in March.

Smales admits she’s independent and can be a little stubborn, so she didn’t worry about a bad cold that was worse than normal.

“I’m just one of those people that think if you get enough water, you get enough sleep and you eat healthy, you’re good to go,” she said.

“I didn’t realize I had a fever of 104 or 105.”

Alicia Smales visits with Oklahoma State University students Malik Miller and Darcy Worth in the Eastin Center for Talent Development. [PHOTOS BY JORDAN PFEIFFER, OSU SPEARS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS]

I’m trying to be smarter about it.

I always thought I was invincible and nothing would happen.”

A friend indeed Golf buddy Ann Watkins said Smales was bright red with fever when she found her that day.

“She couldn’t talk. She didn’t know her name,” Watkins said. “The state she was in when I found her, I don’t even know how she got home.”

Watkins made the welfare check after receiving a call from Smales’ sister in San Antonio, who told her Smales was supposed to pick up her daughter, Shea, from the Tulsa airport but didn’t arrive.

Shea called her aunt, who called Watkins.

“I knew she was in trouble immediately because her garage door was open and her car was inside,” Watkins said.

Smales figures she was lying incoherent for four of five hours before she was found. What if Shea had waited another hour before calling her mom’s sister? What if her sister had waited longer before calling Watkins? What if Watkins had been busy and not answered right away?

“I’m not so sure I’d be here because the fever was so high,” said Smales, who credits Watkins with saving her life.

Not only did Watkins drive her to the hospital and stay by her side through emergency procedures, she fed the dogs, assigned tasks to keep the house running and drove Smales to doctor appointments after her five days in the hospital.

“It was one of those things you run into in life,” Watkins said. “You don’t know what you’d do.”

Making a comeback What took Smales down was viral encephalitis/meningitis. Doctors said her body fighting the bad cold left the door open for the virus to get into the brain.

When she woke up in the hospital, her whole family was there.

“When you see your kids and your sister and the assistant dean and Ann, you’re wondering, ‘OK, am I going to die?’ “

— Alicia Smales director of the Eastin Center for Talent Development in the Alicia Smales, director of the Eastin Center for Talent Development in the Spears School of Business, returned to her job at Oklahoma State University two weeks after suffering a nearly fatal illness.

She quickly realized she wasn’t. After five days, she was released to go home.

“My neurologist admitted he was extremely concerned when I came in, but by everybody’s account I made a really, really, really speedy recovery.”

Physical therapy helped her brain regain spatial awareness to improve balance, and speech therapy aided with memory and attention. “I would lose my thought mid-sentence,” Smales said.

Now she takes precautions, like keeping a walker in the walk-in shower and telling people where she’s going.

“I’m trying to be smarter about it,” she said. “I always thought I was invincible and nothing would happen.”

Life, workplace lessons The experience gave Smales more empathy for the students she works with. She used to get right down to business when they came to her office.

“Let’s get to the problem, let’s discuss the problem, let’s find a solution to the problem, let’s get going,” was her previous approach.

Now she takes time to ask how they are doing.

“You have to know a little bit where they’re coming from, what’s their state of mind before you can actually attack

the problem,” she said.

“I think that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned.”

Smales is director of the Eastin Center for Talent Development in the Spears School of Business.

She graduated from OSU in 1981 with a business administration degree and was a member of the Cowgirl golf team.

“I sort of came here for the golf and got a business education. And I really didn’t realize what I had when I left here,” she said.

She came back to OSU in March 2016 from the position of chief marketing officer for Snap-On Inc., a nearly $4 billion company.

Now she helps students learn how to operate in a work environment. Topics include creating a personal brand, writing a resume, personal finance, etiquette, networking and dressing for success.

Students get a little of that in class, “but we help them to develop it, to hone it, to practice it, which is critically important. This isn’t something that someone can give you a lecture on and suddenly you’re an expert. You have to practice it.”

It’s a job she enjoys and is grateful to come back to after her nearly fatal illness.

“I got very, very lucky, I think,” she said. “I feel fortunate.”

Spears School of Business

Alicia Smales, right, walks with friend Ann Watkins, who she credits with saving her life in January.

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